Nutritious, Home-Made Rice Baby Cereal Recipes

Your baby’s first semi solid meal is mostly baby cereals. More often than not most mothers opt for packaged baby cereals that are available in the market. There is nothing wrong with giving your baby ready-made cereals but you yourself will have to agree that nothing beats a fresh, home-cooked meal. Around the world, paediatricians are of the opinion that rice cereal is not the perfect first food for your baby, because it is low in proteins and high in carbohydrates. Challenging traditional practices mothers have started to replace commercial infant rice cereals with home made rice baby cereal, using brown rice. Brown rice is just a better way to start your baby on solids!

Why Should I Choose Home-Made Baby Cereals?

Feeding your baby home-made cereal has its own benefits. For starters you know it is made without any preservatives or chemicals and second it is fresh, made with care and in hygienic conditions. You can even store the left over home-made cereal for up to 72 hours, if your refrigerate it.

What Type Of Rice Can Be Used For Home-Made Baby Cereal?

There is variety of grains you could choose from while making cereal for your baby. One of the most easily available and nourishing of the lot is rice.
While making home-made rice cereal for your baby, it is recommended you opt for brown rice. Brown rice is not as highly processed as its white counterpart. Processed grains lose a lot of core nutrients; hence brown rice is more appropriate for your baby. Brown rice is rich in minerals like proteins, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. Ideally, opt for short grain brown rice, which cooks up softer. Though it can turn pasty of overcooked, it is better for your baby in all respects. You can feed your baby brown rice as soon as he hits his fourth month or sprouts his first teeth. Your baby is also less likely to develop allergies to brown rice as compared to other food stuff.

Home-Made Baby Rice Cereals Recipes

Below listed are some recipes for home-made baby cereal that are easy to make and highly nutritious as well. These recipes are suited for babies in the age group of 4-6 months.

1. 1. Organic Brown Rice with Water
      Ingredients:
      • ½ cup organic brown rice
      • 4 cups boiled water

      Method:
      Grind the uncooked brown rice in a mixer, blender or food processor until its super fine. Then take a pot, pour four cups of water and the milled rice in it and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer on the heat for another 20 minutes and keep stirring the mixture. After 20 minutes check the consistency of the cereal, if you feel it’s a bit thick for your baby, then add a little bit of water.
      Let the cereal cool down and then feed it to your baby.

1. 1. Brown rice with milk
      Ingredients:
      • 1/4th cup rice
      • ½ cup milk or breast milk
      • 1 cup water

      Method:
      Grind the rice in the mixer or blender. Put a pot on flame, add the milled rice and a cup of water and bring it to boil. After the mixture boils, let it simmer on the heat for 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring all the while. After the allotted time, turn off the flame and check the consistency. Since we have put only a cup of water, the mixture will be a little thick. Add milk or breast milk to the mixture according to your preference and feed it to your baby when the cereal is lukewarm.

   2. Brown rice with fruits or vegetables
      Ingredients:
      • ½ cup brown rice
      • 1 cup water
      • 1 fruit (apple or banana) or
      • 1 vegetable (carrots or peas)

      Method:
      Puree the vegetable or fruit you want to add to the cereal. Grind the rice in a mixer, blender or food processor until its very fine. Put a pot or a pan on heat and pour in the water and add the rice grains. Let it boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. After the allotted time, take it off the heat and check the consistency. When you achieve the desired consistency add the pureed vegetable or fruit and serve it to your baby.

1. Brown Rice Avocado and Banana
   Ingredients:
   • ½ Banana (smashed)
   • ½ Avocado (smashed)
   • ½ Cooked brown rice

   Method:
   Add the mashed banana and avocado to the cooked brown rice and smash the mixture together with your hand or back of the spoon. Make sure there are not many big lumps in the mash. When you achieve the desired texture and consistency feed it to your baby.

2. Rice -Fruit Pudding
   Note – This pudding is suitable for 8+ months babies)
   Ingredients:
   • 1 cup cooked brown rice
   • 1 cup milk
   • 1/ cup dried fruit (raisins, dates or apricots)
   • ½ cup brown sugar
   • 1 banana
   • ½ tsp nutmeg powder
   • A little butter

   Method:
   Put a pan on heat and add the rice and milk. Let it simmer for a few minutes and then add rest of the ingredients and let it cook for 30 minutes until the mixture becomes thick. Let it cool off and then feed it to your baby.

Hope you enjoy making them and your little one enjoys eating them!